Blogs

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom launches anti-Obama campaign

Remember SOPA and PIPA? For a hot minute back in February, it was the biggest news story going, at least until Congress backed down and agreed to table its discussions over the controversial bills that would have severely restricted how people share things online.

But one of the biggest stories that unfolded along with the SOPA and PIPA debate – that of the takedown of Megaoupload, which was one of the largest file-hosting services on the web til the U.S. DOJ closed its sites, seized its domains and charged founder Kim Dotcom with massive and widespread copyright infringement – is still raging.

Dotcom, a New Zealand resident who has denied any wrongdoing, has launched a campaign against President Barack Obama, demanding that the U.S. government return the Megaupload files it seized and restore the company's site by Nov. 1. "The U.S. government has declared war on the Internet," Dotcom's new site, kim.com, declares. "Millions of Mega users want their files back. If Megaupload.com is not back online by November 1st, will you vote for Obama?"

The site – which now calls the service Megaupload provided to its users "cloud storage," a kinder, gentler term for file hosting that'll resonate with those who've embraced cloud computer services offered by Mac, Amazon and others – lays out the Megaupload side of the piracy case, and points out that a New Zealand court ruled that the warrant used to confiscate Megaupload's hard drives was illegal.

Dotcom has also released a music video on YouTube, called "Mr. President," to underscore his case. Naturally, he's urging everyone to share the song and video without fear of copyright infringement.